What If
by Nonniepat
Summary: What if Dean never had Lisa and Ben's minds whitewashed? What if Sam really did meet Amelia and we just saw his return to Dean at the cabin? What if Sam and Amelia are together and Dean is with Lisa and Ben all while they are hunting Abaddon and Gadreel and Metatron? What if Sam and Dean never lost Bobby? What if…


_What if Dean never had Lisa and Ben's minds whitewashed? What if Sam really did meet Amelia and we just saw his return to Dean at the cabin? What if Sam and Amelia are together and Dean is with Lisa and Ben all while they are hunting Abaddon and Gadreel and Metatron? What if Sam and Dean never lost Bobby? What if…_

Lisa and Ben live in a small town just outside of Lawrence Kansas; having moved there at Dean's request after all three had a long talk about this hunting life and wanting to be with them as a family. He lives between the Men of Letters bunker and the house Lisa and he have on the outskirts of Lawrence. After Purgatory and seeing how Sam and Amelia are living together yet Sam has a life with Dean as a hunter Dean realizes he can actually sit at a dinner table with Lisa and Ben and as long as he has Sam and Cas to have his back he could keep them safe while still remaining a hunter. He is giving it a good try but now the Mark of Cain has him rethinking everything and arguing with Lisa over his ability to keep his job separate from her yet still be with her.

Sam did meet Amelia at the hotel a year ago and she moved her veterinarian practice to Lawrence and is renting a house where Sam spends more and more time at; especially since Dean got the Mark of Cain. For months Amelia didn't know whether Sam survived the closing the gates of hell as Dean did not know she and Sam were still together but once Gadreel was out of Sam and Sam was healed by Cas Sam returned to her, explained it all and where they are now. Amelia is very supportive of his 'job' and working as partners with Dean and she has been trying to get Sam to see things from Dean's point of view but to her mind the Mark of Cain and Dean's current mood are bringing him around to Dean's way of thinking then Amelia has been. She is also aware from what Sam tells her that he is trying to find a way to help Dean and even save him if need be. Sam tells Amelia everything and Amelia knows Sam told Dean that he'd never trade his life for Dean's and Amelia explained how that had to hurt Dean but it is the Mark of Cain and Dean's mood since getting the First Blade that to Amelia has Sam looking for a way to save his brother and rethinking his admission to Dean that they can't be brothers and partners. Amelia knows Sam is hurting over it all, the deception by Dean of Gadreel, the distance between them that the Mark of Cain and the First Blade are making worse and she knows from the few times she's talked to Dean and Lisa that Dean is hurting too and not just from the effects of the Mark of Cain but from his damaged relationship with his brother. Amelia and Lisa are doing all they can to bring them back together as brothers but it will take a lot to bring them to a place where Amelia and Lisa can have summer barbeques and offer Sam and Dean a little bit of an apple pie life to their hectic hunting lifestyle. But they do what they can. The rest is up to the Winchester brothers.

We begin shortly after Dean takes out Abaddon with the First Blade, before the job where they meet Cas where an angel has just blown up humans…..

Sam was coming in with supplies for the kitchen, having come from Amelia and the home they shared together, when he heard and saw Dean on the phone to Lisa. Dean nodded to his raised eyebrow but continued on with the call while Sam took off for the kitchen. He could still hear Dean.

"Lisa, I told you when I've got a handle on this thing I will be home." Dean was saying and Sam thought, 'yeah when'. He could just imagine Lisa on the other end; he'd been listening to Amelia for weeks himself.

"So, Dean that….that woman is dead?" Lisa was asking.

"Abaddon and she was not a woman Lis she was a demon, a Knight of Hell, I told you that." Dean said with a frustrated sigh.

"Yes sorry you did. So now where do you go from here?" Lisa asked and Dean sighed again knowing he didn't want to tell her any of this but he'd watched Sam and Amelia for weeks and how open and honest Sam was with Amelia and how she handled all he told her and decided that honesty was the best policy, for now, and told Lisa as much as he dared; too much he guessed for her intelligent mind kept finding the questions he did not want to answer.

"I've already covered that Lis." Dean was saying.

"Tell me again then. This fight is not over is it?" Lisa asked.

"With the demons it never will be." Dean replied.

"With the angels then?" Lisa asked. Dean sighed again.

"One angel." Dean said.

"That Meta…what do you call it?" Lisa asked and Dean chuckled at her word it, Metatron was an it; an irritating it at that.

"Metatron." Dean answered.

"And this blade…." he cut her off.

"The First Blade yes." Dean said.

"This First Blade will kill him too?" Lisa asked.

"That is our hope yes. If Cas can find him." Dean said.

"Then you will be able to come home for a while; until your next job?" Lisa asked.

"As soon as I get a handle on this Lis." Dean said as Sam walked back in the room.

"You're not talking about this angel you're talking about the First Blade." Lisa commented. Dean sighed.

"No, not the First Blade." Dean said and it was Sam who realized what they were talking about and spoke up.

"The Mark of Cain Lisa." Sam hollered only to have Dean put his hand over the receiver and say to Sam.

"You're not helping." Dean said and Sam replied with a laugh.

"Tell her the truth Dean. I know it's a strange concept but she needs to hear it from you and not Amelia." Sam said.

"Or you." Dean shot back. Sam nodded. Lisa was still talking.

"Dean? Dean what is Sam saying?" Lisa asked.

"Nothing. Listen Lisa I need to talk to Sam about Metatron so I'll call you later okay? Tell Ben to behave for me." Dean said.

"Sure I'll tell him. He'd like to hear from you though." Lisa said.

"As soon as I get a handle on this thing." Dean said then saw Sam roll his eyes.

"Yes, yes you do your best. We'll be here when you decide to come home. And Dean come home soon or I may not be here when you do." Lisa said.

"Lisa I've told you that if my job is too much for you, you don't have to stay." Dean said as Sam looked at him and frowned.

"No, sorry we'll stay but I'm worried Dean." Lisa said.

"Don't worry. I am fine. Will call soon." Dean said as Sam thought, 'sure you're fine'.

"Take care Dean. Bye." Lisa said.

"Bye Lis." Dean said then hung up and faced Sam who was staring at him.

"What?" Dean hollered.

"Nothing, but you are not getting a handle on this thing as you put it with the First Blade not locked up someplace." Sam said.

"You let me worry about the First Blade and the Mark of Cain. You stop telling Amelia things that she will tell Lisa." Dean said defensively.

"Can I help it if I tell Amelia the truth about things and she and Lisa are friends and both concerned?" Sam offered. For a response Dean walked out of the room as Bobby walked in.

"What's eating him now?" Bobby asked looking at Dean's retreating back as he went to his room.

"What's not eating at him." Sam replied with a frown then heard his own cell ringing. He held up a finger to Bobby as he saw who it was, smiled and answered.

"Hey Babe, what'd I forget?" Sam asked. He smiled as he heard her voice and Bobby waited patiently by sitting down at their long table in the main room of the Men of Letters bunker.

"Well for one the list of supplies for our home." Amelia began and Sam couldn't help but chuckle even as he realized he forgot the list she made for them.

"Sorry babe. Do we need it now or can I stop later and get it?" Sam said.

"I hate to ask but we are low on everything. Is Dean alright?" Amelia asked knowing that was Sam's main reason for checking in at the bunker.

"Same old, same old." Sam said about Dean. He didn't comment on the state of their empty food cabinets.

"Oh, sorry." Amelia replied and Sam knew she meant it.

" I know but there's nothing any of us can do, even Bobby is at a loss here and he usually has an answer." Sam replied as Bobby frowned.

"Well, get them when you can and come back as soon as you can." Amelia said.

"Will do. Hey, how about I have Bobby come by, get the list and do the supply run?" Sam asked.

"If you don't think Bobby will mind." Amelia replied.

"Hold on." Sam said to Amelia then to Bobby, "I forgot to go to the store for Amelia would you mind going to the house, getting our list and going for us, I can give you some cash." Sam said.

"Consider it done. Pay me next time I see you. Tell her I'm on my way." Bobby said as Sam tossed his car keys to him.

"Thank Bobby I owe you." Sam said with a smile.

"Add it to the list." Bobby said gruffly but with a smile and left for Amelia and Sam's.

"He's on his way." Sam said to Amelia on the phone.

"Thank you." Amelia said and Sam smiled; she was always so polite.

"Now what was the other thing I forgot?" Sam asked knowing she only called about the supplies.

"If you have to ask then you really don't know now do you?" Amelia said with a soft laugh and Sam laughed in reply as Dean trudged by him into the kitchen, no doubt to get another bottle of whatever it was in the liquor cabinet he didn't need. Sam watched he go without even looking up from the floor as he walked.

"Sam?" Amelia asked after there was silence for a while.

"Amelia, yeah I'm here." Sam said concentrating on Amelia and not Dean.

"Let me guess Dean?" Amelia asked and Sam chuckled again.

"You know me too well." Sam said.

"Yes I do; especially when it comes to your brother, business partner or not." Amelia said and Sam heard the veiled reference to his new terms with Dean. Terms she was trying to get him to rethink. He was rethinking them but wondered if he was rethinking them too late.

"I just wish…" Sam said then let his voice trail off.

"I know what you wish and be patient the answer will come. Talk to Cas maybe he can come up with something." Amelia said.

"As soon as this angel business is behind us that is my first conversation with Cas." Sam said and saw Dean come back; bottle in hand and frown at him. Sam turned away from him.

"Good I think that is best. Listen I am sure you have more to do than talk to me. So come home when you can I'll be here." Amelia said.

"Not really but okay I will see you tonight okay." Sam said wishing he could just leave and go home now but they still had work to do.

"Okay." Amelia said.

"Love you." Sam said smiling.

"Love you too. Bye Sam." Amelia said.

"Bye Am." Sam said then hung up and turned around to find Dean still standing there.

"Talking about me again." Dean said taking a long drink of the whiskey bottle in his hand.

"No, we have other things to talk about. Things like I imagine you talk to Lisa about." Sam said.

Dean grunted.

"Don't imagine things you've no idea about." Dean said.

"Why don't you go home and spend some time with her and not that bottle. It'd do you some good to be around people instead of cooped up in that room." Sam offered.

"You don't understand. You don't have this thing…to deal with." Dean said.

"Oh yes and you are dealing with it so well. The First Blade is the prized possession in your room or wherever you are hiding it today instead of being locked up until it is needed. You won't talk to Bobby or Cas about it not to mention talk to me about it. You insist that you're okay when all of us know you are not. There isn't even a guarantee it will kill Metratron and as for Crowley we can always get the thing if and when we decide to take Crowley out." Sam went on while Dean stood there.

"You don't understand!" Dean yelled.

"Don't I. I was addicted to blood if you'd forgotten." Sam said calmly.

"Different." Dean said.

"How so? Are you telling me you are not addicted to the power or calm of the First Blade and can lock it up and be done with it at any time?" Sam asked.

"Yep. Not addicted as you call it. Yes, it makes me calm like the killer I am. But again you wouldn't understand. You weren't in purgatory you don't have this Mark of Cain in your veins." Dean said.

"And Demon Blood doesn't count is that what you are saying?" Sam shouted back.

"Different." Dean said.

"You keep telling yourself that Dean but it won't make it true." Sam said.

"Stop comparing yourself to to me then." Dean responded.

"Comparing myself? Is that what you think I'm doing? At least I am not _protecting_ you like some child." Sam shot back.

"The First Blade _killed_ Cain's brother Sam." Dean stated flatly.

"So you're saying you will kill me. Like we haven't been down this road before. Dean you just keep telling yourself this stuff all you want but meanwhile there is a woman and kid out there who love you and are willing to put up with your crap and your job so they can be with you. Don't push them too far or they might not be there for you for long." Sam said.

"You don't understand Sam. Now before I lose my temper here and kick your ass in real time where are we on finding Metratron, have we heard from Cas and where is Bobby by the way." Dean said as Sam shook him head at his brother's stubbornness.


End file.
